The Central African Republic (CAR) has been unstable since its independence from France in 1960.

It is rich in diamonds, gold, oil and uranium but has one of the world's poorest populations.

It was plunged into turmoil in 2013 when Muslim rebels from the Seleka umbrella group seized power in the majority Christian country. A band of mostly Christian militias, called the anti-balaka, rose up to counter the Seleka.

Seleka handed power to a transitional government in 2014 under international pressure but months of violence followed and the country was effectively partitioned, in spite of the presence of a UN peacekeeping force and a French mission.

The country is undergoing an internationally supervised transition involving a constitutional referendum as well as presidential and parliamentary elections.

LEADERS

President: Faustin-Archange Touadera

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Faustin-Archange Touadera, a former prime minister and maths professor, was declared the winner of a presidential election in February 2016 seen as crucial to turning the page on years of sectarian violence.

Mr Touadera won 62.71% of the hotly contested run-off vote compared with 37.29 for Anicet-Georges Dologuele, who won the first round of the vote in December and conceded defeat in the second.

He campaigned as a peacemaker who could bridge the religious divide.

The well-respected former mathematics professor served as the last premier of ex-president Francois Bozize who was deposed in a coup in 2013.

The ouster of Bozize, a Christian, by the mostly Muslim Seleka rebels unleashed a spiral of violence between Muslim and Christian militias that left thousands dead, and many voters expressed a strong desire for peace when they cast their ballots.

MEDIA

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The Central African Republic has great agricultural potential as well as plentiful mineral resources, including diamonds

Radio is the most-popular medium. The media consist largely of low-circulation newspapers and "often-isolated" radio stations, says Reporters Without Borders (RSF).